Career Coaching
Individual career coaching appointments are an opportunity to work directly with the PHS career coach, Miriam Miller. These virtual or in-person appointments typically last 30 minutes, but longer sessions can often be arranged. Below is a list of common appointment themes, but you are welcome to make an appointment without a topic in mind:

• Resumes or CVs
• Cover Letters
• Job Search Strategies
• Career Exploration
• Interviewing
• Networking
• Job Offer Negotiation
• Professional/Cultural Communication
• Workplace Navigation
• Career Changing
• Professional Advancement
• Applications for PhD, MD, Other Advanced Study

Coaching is available to PHS students year-round. Current students should sign up for appointments by using calendly.com/phscareercoaching or emailing Miriam Miller at mim4027@med.cornell.edu, if they are unable to find a time that works for their needs.

Professional Development Course
Almost all students take a 2-credit professional development course, as part of their Master’s Project I requirement. The course covers a wide range of career content that supports students’ professional growth and development. Students in the course learn how to identify professional opportunities that align with their needs and values, how to articulate their skills and strengths to employers, how to plan ahead for their careers, and much more. Filled with practical exercises and interactive learning, the course ensures that students finish their program prepared to take charge of their careers.

Bi-Weekly Career Newsletter
Students and alumni receive a career newsletter every two weeks with information about career events happening in the department, networking or professional development events happening within Weill Cornell Medicine, career events and resources available externally, and career opportunities.

Internships
Internships can be an excellent way to apply skills learned in the classroom in a relevant professional setting.  Whether a student is seeking to gain experience with research, data, policy, communications, project management, or any other number of areas, students will receive information about various opportunities throughout the course of the year. They are also encouraged to take initiative to actively seek out roles that align with their interests and studies.

All students wishing to receive academic credit for an internship must have the approval of their department.  Students on an F1 visa wishing to use Curricular Practical Training (CPT) to pursue an internship may be able to use the elective Graduate Internship course or Master’s Project III to receive academic credit for an external opportunity, depending on the program in which they are enrolled and the semester.  CPT will need approval from the department and the Weill Cornell Office of International Student Services, so students should familiarize themselves with the requirements. 

Events
Students are encouraged to take part in career events throughout the course of the year. The most common types of events may include any of the following:

• Career Workshops
• Alumni Chats
• Industry Panels
• Employer Information Sessions

Events may offer opportunities to learn new skills, explore new fields, network with professionals, and more. These and many more special events are added to the career newsletter on a regular basis.

Career Resources
Students and alumni enjoy a wealth of virtual resources including career guides, industry guides, and digital platforms like Handshake or GoinGlobal.

Employers will find that our students and alumni are well-prepared to be valuable contributors in many settings—academia, healthcare delivery, consulting, technology, pharmaceuticals, government, non-profits, start-ups, and more. The department places great value on real-world, experiential learning and welcomes employers to partner with us as they seek to build their brand on the Weill Cornell campus and recruit top talent.

Capstone Projects
The capstone is a 3-6 month project in which small groups of students with diverse backgrounds in research, analytics, and technology are matched with a faculty or employer client to deliver research insights and organizational recommendations under the guidance of a faculty advisor.

Employer clients benefit from a capstone partnership in two primary ways:

Talent

• Creation of a talent pipeline by increasing student awareness of your organization
• Small teams with advanced academic skill sets and work experience
• Highly-regarded Weill Cornell faculty providing supervision

Insights

• Extensive research and analysis at no cost
• Recommendations or reports for scientific or institutional challenges

Learn more about collaborating on a capstone project with our graduate students by visiting our Become a Capstone Partner page. 

Internships
The Weill Cornell Department of Population Health Sciences encourages students to consider pursuing internship opportunities during the course of their degree program, and students are eager to participate in a range of roles.  Previous students have interned in academic institutions, tech companies, government agencies, and more.

Employers interested in sharing opportunities with graduate students in the department may reach out to Miriam Miller, Associate Director of Career Development and Employer Engagement, at mim4027@med.cornell.edu in order to promote their positions.

Information Sessions
Employer information sessions are a great way to share your organizational culture, explain the hiring process, and promote career opportunities. Build meaningful connections with an engaged audience.

Employer Site Visits/Virtual Tours
Site visits provide an opportunity for students to visualize themselves as members of your organization or department. Employers local to New York City can invite students to their offices; any employer can choose a virtual option. Combine a virtual or in-person tour with a session about hiring.

Industry Panels
Panels focusing on a particular career pathway or industry will feature employers from that sector discussing hiring trends, industry skill sets, day-in-the-life insights, and more. Industries might include consulting, pharmaceuticals, start-ups, government, research, and more.

Job Postings
Available career opportunities (including job postings and hiring events) at your institution that are appropriate for our graduate students can be shared with us and promoted in the bi-weekly career newsletter. The newsletter is shared with current students and alumni.

Named Professional Development Stipends
Create a yearly stipend bearing your organization’s name that will support students’ professional development. Students can apply to receive a stipend to offset costs associated with their career growth; sponsored opportunities may include funding for unpaid research, travel to a professional conference, professional association membership fees, and more.

Contact Us
If you are interested in any of these engagement opportunities or if you would like to discuss additional partnership possibilities, contact Miriam Miller, Associate Director of Career Development and Employer Engagement. Her email is mim4027@med.cornell.edu.

Engagement with Current Students
The MS in Healthcare Policy and Research is so pleased that many alumni choose to stay involved with the department and its students. Alumni looking to give back will find many ways of doing so. Here are a few options to consider:

•  Job postings: Recruit students from the program by sending open positions at your organization that can be promoted in the career newsletter.
•  Capstone projects: Partner with us to develop a project appropriate for graduate students in the department.
• Alumni chats: Host your own 30-45 minute chat about your career trajectory and answer student questions.
• Industry panels: Serve as a guest speaker on a panel about the sector in which you work.
• Informational interviews: Volunteer to conduct an informational interview with a student from the program, so that they can learn about your position or industry.

Alumni looking for opportunities to share professional advice, insight, and opportunities with current students should reach out to Miriam Miller at mim4027@med.cornell.edu.

Update Us
We are always pleased to hear professional updates from our alumni. Whether you got a new position, just enrolled in a doctoral program, published an article, or joined a committee in a professional association, your classmates and our staff want to hear about it. Email mim4027@med.cornell.edu.

Alumni Career Coaching
Individual career coaching appointments are an opportunity to work directly with the PHS career coach, Miriam Miller. These virtual or in-person appointments typically last 30 minutes, but longer sessions can often be arranged. Below is a list of common appointment themes, but you are welcome to make an appointment without a topic in mind:

• Resumes or CVs
• Cover Letters
• Job Search Strategies
• Career Exploration
• Interviewing 
• Networking
• Job Offer Negotiation
• Professional/Cultural Communication
• Workplace Navigation
• Career Changing
• Professional Advancement
• Applications for PhD, MD, Other Advanced Study

Alumni can access multiple career coaching appointments every year, which are available year-round. Sessions can be booked by emailing Miriam Miller at mim4027@med.cornell.edu.

Career Newsletter
Alumni will continue to receive the bi-weekly career newsletter featuring job opportunities and career events. This includes workshops, panels, informal chats, or other special events happening within the academic department, across Weill Cornell, and beyond.

Our graduates go on to pursue fulfilling careers in a range of industries. To learn about where our alumni have worked or matriculated following our program, visit our dedicated career outcomes pages for each program:

• Alumni Outcomes - Biostatistics and Data Science
• Alumni Outcomes - Health Informatics
• Alumni Outcomes - Health Policy and Economics

International students may wish to note that MS programs in Population Health Sciences are STEM-designated degree program for the purposes of the 24-month STEM optional practical training extension.

These 24 months are in addition to the 12 months of OPT available to F-1 students.

Miriam Miller is the Associate Director of Career Development and Employer Engagement for the department. She is dedicated to working with students and alumni from the three MS programs in Population Health Sciences, as well as partnering with employers. She is also the instructor for the Professional Development Course in Master’s Project I.

Miriam has specialized in graduate student career development since 2015 and previously enjoyed a career in admissions. She has earned national and regional awards for her innovative career programs and resources, and she has presented at numerous conferences for career development and student affairs. Miriam holds an Ed.M. in Higher Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a B.A. in American Studies (with a concentration in Higher Education) from Barnard College.